CII – The Annual Dive In Festival
Dubai, UAE: September 2, 2020. The Middle East edition of the global festival for Diversity and Inclusion, “Dive In”, a Lloyd’s initiative which is supported by the Chartered Insurance Institute and a wealth of leading organizations including Kennedys, AIG, Mercer and Chubb, will take place on 22nd September at 14.00 hrs, UAE time. The theme is “Dive In Generations: The Future of the Insurance Industry – Is Age just a Number?” and registration for the event has opened, accessible via https://diveinfestival.com/2020-events/
The Middle East virtual event is one of over 90 virtual events taking place in over 30 countries running between the 22nd to 24th September 2020. The Middle East session on the 22nd will take the format of a 75-minute session, and as the event is virtual this year, it can be accessed by a global audience. It will kick off with an address by Yvonne Sonsino, Partner and Co-leader at Next Stage, Mercer who will also moderate, with panelists comprised of professionals representing the entire age spectrum. These are:
- Gaenor Jones, Regional Director, CII (Middle East)
- Andrew Woodward, Regional Head, Middle East & Turkey, Lloyd’s
- Mehdi Seadon, Associate, Kennedys Law
- Evgenia Pepelova, General Counsel, GCC and North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, AIG
Dive-in has become a well-established global festival since its inception and represents a global movement in the insurance sector to support the development of inclusive workplace cultures. Its mission is to enable people to achieve their potential by raising awareness of the business case and promoting positive action for diversity in all its forms.
In addition to Lloyd’s and the Chartered Insurance Institute, supporters of Dive In include AIG, Aon, Aviva, AXA, Chubb, CNA, DLA Piper, Kennedys, Markel, Marsh & Guy Carpenter, MS Amlin, RenaissanceRe, RMS, Travelers, Tokio Marine Kiln and Willis Towers Watson.
Gaenor Jones, Regional Director of the Chartered Insurance Institute (Middle East) comments: “Diversity and inclusion are very important issues for the CII as we seek to drive up professional standards in the Insurance and financial planning sectors across the globe.
“This is a great opportunity to gather together professionals from the Middle East region, who represent a wide range of age brackets, in order to listen and moot opinions about an important topic that affects everyone in our industry. We are anticipating a very lively debate, with insightful contributions from those at the youngest end of the spectrum, and our more senior stalwarts, with issues such as Technology & Digital Disruption and Remuneration Incentives right at the heart of the debate. We will be encouraging guests to contribute their views also, through a poll, and it will be very interesting to compare and contrast feedback.”
Lloyd’s Regional Head of Middle East and Turkey, Andrew Woodward adds: “Yet again the Dive In Festival proves to have a truly global impact on inclusion. We have enjoyed successful events in the Middle East and Turkey for the last few years and we are delighted that this year the event is open to a global audience, thanks to the new virtual format. We are extremely proud to be part of the Dive In movement and look forward to welcoming audiences from all around the world to take part in the conversation on cross generational understanding in the insurance industry within the Middle East and Turkey.”
